Lecture will address minority women in workplace

Minorities do not have to accept discrimination in the workplace.

Tonight at 8 p.m. in DuSable room 204, Women in Communications, Inc. (WICI) will be holding an informative meeting with the theme, “Discrimination in the workplace, you don’t have to accept it!”

The speaker will be Ceilmar Diaz, an education specialist from the Illinois Human Rights Commission. Diaz visits different organizations to give presentations on educating people how to identify signs of discrimination.

Jennyfer Butzen, WICI vice president of Public Relations, said many people do not know what discrimination is and what it is not. Diaz will focus on how to follow legal guidelines in identifying discrimination and how to use the law to stop it.

Liz Dolce, WICI vice president of Programming, said she feels there is just cause for taking action against discrimination in the workplace.

“This would be good to hear before working in an internship or career because discrimination is faced by everyone in the work force,” Dolce said.

WICI was founded in 1909 as a women’s journalism society by seven students at the University of Washington in Seattle, and began admitting men in 1972.

It is a pre-professional organization at NIU, affiliated with professional chapters throughout the United States. The organization welcomes men and women of all majors.

WICI Advisor Kathleen Propp spoke on the benefits of membership in WICI. “Because our NIU chapter is tight with the Chicago professional chapter, we are able to offer our members connections to get internships with that chapter for experience that will build those resumes,” she said.

WICI professional chapters do not only use the experience of communications studies, but in a broad range of professional occupations, from public relations to advertising.

Besides internships, WICI also hosts partner days. These are chances for WICI members to work, side by side, with a professional at the Chicago branch in students’ field of study.

Membership in WICI is not needed to attend the lecture tonight. However, membership is always open. To join, there are small local dues plus national dues to the professional chapters.

WICI exists to help women and other minorities succeed in the professional workplace. Discrimination threatens to hinder the capabilities of minorities who remain unaware of their rights.

“This would be good to hear before working in an internship or career because discrimination is faced by everyone in the work force.”